Falling Fiberglass Nuisance - Columbia City, OR
Challenge
This homeowner had been struggling with insulating their crawl space. Their heating and cooling costs were high, so finding ways to save was important. For years they had used fiberglass in the sub-floor. But inevitably this would droop from the sub-floor. Once this occurred, the floor above would be cold to walk on, and they knew their energy bill would be higher. They also knew that when the fiberglass insulation drooped, it made their tight crawl space, even more troublesome to venture through. Tired of having to replace the fiberglass consistently to maintain a comfortable home, these homeowners began to look into other options. This is how they began to read up about encapsulation and John's Waterproofing. Ready to learn more and to see if this was the solution they had been looking for, they called out office and scheduled a free inspection.
Solution
Our design specialist did a full inspection, confirming that an encapsulation would be the real solution to their concerns. This system will seal the crawl space off from exterior factors and utilize insulation materials that were actually built to last in this below-grade space. We insulate by placing TerraBlock along the dirt floors. This is a 3/4 inch thick insulation material that is cut to fit and seal over the dirt floor. Paired with this, we apply spray foam insulation along the foundation walls into the rim-joists. This material insulates and air seals the space. By insulating along the base and walls, we bring the entire crawl space into the homes thermal envelope. This allows the space to be well regulated and energy efficient. The existing HVAC systems don't have to fight to maintain a comfortable temperature when running through this space. The homeowners were thrilled with how nice the crawl space now looked. While still on the tight side, not having fiberglass insulation drooping throughout, made this space so much more inviting.
